Plastic film bag with locking closure feature

Abstract

A flaccid plastic film bag has opposed handle portions. Each handle has side elements upstanding from the bag body on either side of a hand-receiving aperture. Slits are provided in the edges of the side elements. The slits originate inward of the edge and extend downward and outward to cut through the edge. When one handle is passed through the aperture of the other handle to close the mouth of the bag, the slitted edges prevent the handles from slipping apart and spilling the contents of a loaded bag during transport.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A handled flaccid film bag with locking closure feature, the bag comprising: (A) front and rear flaccid film walls integrally joined together at their sides and sealed together at their bottoms to form a bag body with a closed bottom;   (B) laterally opposed handle portions extending upwardly from the bag body and defining an open mouth portion therebetween;   (C) each handle portion having a hand-receiving aperture defining two side elements upstanding from the bag body and connected at their upper ends to a top handle member, each side element having an inner edge adjacent the aperture and an outer edge; and   (D) at least one slit means in at least one of the inner edge and the outer edge of at least one of the side elements for releasably maintaining the mouth of the bag closed when one handle portion is pulled through the aperture of another handle portion at least once, the slit means having an origin inward of the edge and extending downwardly and outwardly to the edge so as to divide the edge.   
     
     
       2. The bag according to claim 1, in which the origin has a substantially circular configuration. 
     
     
       3. The bag according to claim 2, in which the entire bag is formed from a tubular thermoplastic film. 
     
     
       4. The bag according to claim 1, in which the entire bag is formed from a tubular thermoplastic film. 
     
     
       5. The bag according to claim 4, in which there are a plurality of slit means. 
     
     
       6. The bag according to claim 3, in which there are a plurality of slit means. 
     
     
       7. The bag according to claim 2, in which there are a plurality of slit means. 
     
     
       8. The bag according to claim 1, in which there are a plurality of slit means.